Top Event Planner

For all brides planning your wedding, the one thing I would highly recommend is hire a month of/​day of coordinator. Trust me when I say this, it will be the BEST decision/​gift you could give to yourself on the wedding day.
My husband and I are very hands-​on and organized, we wanted to plan our wedding ourselves as we wanted to incorporate every element of our personalities, our relationship, and have that reflected in our wedding. We sourced all of our own decorations (frames, glass bottles, luggage, sweetheart table, sweetheart bench, etc). However, we knew we needed help on the day of. Maria helped us execute it.
From our first meeting with her, she exuded so much grace, knowledge about the wedding industry, and had this wonderful calming aura about her. We met and talked for 2 hours, and she showed us what types of services she can provide for month of/​day of coordination — she gave us a peak at the timeline she creates for the wedding day, and how she stays in touch with our vendors the month before.
Throughout the process, she was very responsive to any questions I had leading up to the big day. The month of our wedding, she was in constant communication with us. She is quick to reply, and extremely helpful!
Maria is simply amazing, and I wish I could write down all the things she’s helped us with! On our wedding day, she and her team were prompt, always there to field any questions from family members, friends, and vendors. They set up the reception venue so perfectly, and was able to utilize all of the decorations I had set out. Remy was so sweet and caring — she was always one step ahead and even packed us water and sandwiches because everyone knows the bride and the groom never eat on their wedding day. Chelsea was amazing as well, she helped set up the details at our reception venue, and helped us throughout the night. My husband and I were in line waiting for our Grand Entrance and he started to feel light headed, so she quickly ran to get him some water. They are just SO THOUGHTFUL and think of everything.
My family even remarked how organized, efficient, and quick she is. One of the guests accidentally spilled a drink onto the table and all over her plate. Maria quickly saw this, grabbed the wet plate and replaced the setting with a new plate and utensils. My family was so impressed that she noticed this from far away and immediately helped to solve the problem before they even needed to ask for assistance. I got so much positive feedback about what a great planner I had on our wedding day!
Maria and her team kept us running on time according to her AMAZING timeline (coming from someone who prides herself on organization and functionality, Maria’s timeline will make any Type A Personality/​OCD person drool because it was so detailed, so well thought out, and perfectly planned to a T). I would frame it in my house if I could (if my visitors promise they won’t judge me, but maybe they won’t because it’s something I would totally do because I admire it so much!). All jokes aside, Maria and her team are phenomenal! She was the first person in and the last person out, and she took away all of the stress of the day for us so my husband and I could enjoy every moment of our perfect wedding day.
Trust me, you will not regret your decision in booking with Maria. Give yourself this one gift, do whatever you can to make room in your budget, and hire Maria and her team. Why spend all this money on the wedding when you can’t even fully enjoy it on the day of because you’re so stressed out from all the moving pieces. Let Maria and her team be the perfect liaison between you, your vendors, and your venue.

We first heard about Maria from a friend. When we met with Maria, she was very friendly and took the time to hear our thoughts on what we had envisioned for our big day. She was there for us every step of the way and has attended all our vendor meetings. It was great to bounce ideas off her, as well ask for her opinion on things we were not too certain about. Her vast resources also helped us secure our wedding flowers, so it was one less thing to shop around for, while we could focus on other details of our wedding.
Weeks before our wedding day, Maria provided a list of items to prepare. She then drove to our place to pick up the items and even went through a final checklist to make sure we did not miss anything. She was very organized, which allowed us to focus more on our big day.
When our wedding day came, Maria and her team stuck to a timeline to make sure everything went smoothly. It was a very long day as as our day began at 6:30 AM and ended at 10:30 PM. When it came time for our reception, we were without a projector for our slide show, which we were certain we had ordered from the DJ, but will not get into details. While we tried to process the fact that there was no projector available, Maria informed us that she would somehow obtain one for us. She bought one from Best Buy, just in time to set everything up and play our slide show. Luckily, none of our guests noticed the mishap.
Maria was very quick on her feet and took the initiative to resolve the issue. She handled the situation in such a professional manner and went above and beyond our expectations. We were very grateful to have her and her team for our big day. Overall, it was a huge success! We can’t thank Maria and her team enough for doing such an awesome job. They have been a pleasure to work with and we highly recommend them!

We booked Maria for day of coordinator services in January 2016 and my wedding was February 13^th! We were definitely cutting it close! We were referred to Maria through a friend, and I have to say it was the BEST decision we ever made!!! I had a huge wedding of about 450 guests plus a huge wedding party of 14 groomsmen and bridesmaids. Once we booked Maria she was on top of things! Made sure to call and get in contact with all of our vendors! Which was a plus for my husband and I because some of them have been emailing us for weeks for a response lol. Maria went absolutely above and beyond through the whole process! The first time I met her we went through literally everything for the wedding and she had everything so organized and ready to go! I seriously don’t know how my mom and I would of got through the rest of the planning process without her! Maria even came and took all the décor we had and held it and organized it at her office! The day of the wedding everything went so smoothly! The whole Top Event Planner crew that was there that day was AMAZING!!! They were all so on their A-​game! haha I loved it! The day of the wedding Tiffany was with me from start to finish to make sure everything I needed was taken care of and can I just say I love her and she’s a life saver! lol What was even more wonderful was my mom was able to enjoy herself at the wedding and not have to worry about anything! I still have people tell me how smooth and put together my wedding was and its all thanks to Maria and the rest of the ladies that day!
Top Event Planner was the best decision I made throughout my whole wedding process!!! They made my wedding dream come true! I’m forever thankful for all of them!

We booked Maria in Nov. 2015 from Top Event for our day of coordination services because we heard about her through a friend. First off Maria will go over what she provides for her services… but she goes BEYOND what is expected. I thought I would be able to do most of the planning myself but with an almost 400 guest count wedding I had many freak out moments where Maria would be there to calm me down and ensure everything would be alright. She basically plays the role of a friend, wedding coordinator, financial advisor etc. Lol She is very realistic and honest which is someone you need by your side during this crazy wedding process. Prior to the wedding she goes through the coordination plans and lets you know when there are issues and problems but always to provide alternatives and solutions :) (actually on the day of the wedding she never told us about any problems. she just solved them !! without us even realizing it !! She is an amazing middle man that connects all your vendors together seamlessly, making the wedding less stressful and more enjoyable. I’ve been told from my other vendors that she was a pleasure to work with. My wedding party + close family members loved Maria. ! She comes prepared with a team of assistants and they are all on the same page and communicate well amongst each other. Being that I am Vietnamese American with some traditional relatives Maria is bilingual and that was such a PLUS. Especially because we wanted to incorporate a traditional tea ceremony in the morning. Maria was very knowledgeable about coordinating that and helping throughout.
Bottom line, if you are looking for a wedding planner that plans your wedding day down to the T, has a ridiculously calm demeanor even at the most stressful times but at the same time will be strict when she needs to be in order for things to go to YOUR plan, Maria is for you.
Couldn’t have asked for a better experience and wedding planner. Our wedding would not have been possible without her. My husband and I give her our highest recommendation.

Maria is the best. We used her for our wedding in September 2013 in Palos Verdes. She was professional and definitely knew her stuff. Without her help I think it would have been a disaster. She’s definitely affordable compared to some other planners I spoke to. She thought of everything.
On a big day such as your wedding, You need Maria’s help so you can actually relax and enjoy the day.

We were one of Maria’s first clients several years ago and I can’t emphasize enough how integral she was to the success and smooth operation of our wedding day. As a business owner and software engineer I’m a control freak and extreme worrier so I’m not sure what we (I) would have done without her.
I have read many of the reviews before writing this and I think that they all speak volumes about how great Top Event Planner is. There’s no need to reiterate the same details about the top-​notch service you’ll receive but I must say, out of all the money we spent on vendors Maria was WORTH EVERY PENNY and was THE MOST VALUABLE PERSON to us on our wedding day. Maria wasn’t just our MVP but one day she will undoubtedly be inducted into the Wedding Planner Hall of Fame!
Thank you again to Maria and Top Event Planner for letting us sit back and enjoy our wedding day. Your service was priceless and we were truly blessed to have you!

My cousin referred us to TOP EVENT Planners (TEP). She gave us plenty of feedback and recommendations from her wedding planning experience. One thing she advised us about: to chose a good coordinator to make our life «easier» for during wedding.
Since our venue had been booked at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel, We interviewed four companies based in Orange County/​Los Angeles County areas. When we interviewed Maria from TEP, the wife and I really like Maria’s easy-​going personality and was very polite. We decided to going with TEP, that’s when everything just fell into place. They contacted each one of our vendors and create a detailed schedule for the big day.
What can I say about the day of the wedding? They made it Worry-​free. The wife and I was able to enjoy our Wedding with No Issues. Maria and her team were all on point. If they can handle our big crazy loud obnoxious families, I’m sure the rest is easy.
We would highly recommend TEP (Maria) to anyone. Big thanks again!
–The Duongs
Check out our photos on Unilocal and Instagram #happilyeverduongs2015

I work for a nonprofit organization that supports survivors and persons vulnerable to human trafficking in Cambodia, and we held a black tie gala fundraiser in Orange County in December. We saw Maria at work at a friend’s wedding in November and knew we had to meet her. Even though she was behind the scenes you could tell that she was, as our Executive Director put it, «so good.»
We weren’t expecting much. Our Executive Director had initially asked another event planner if she could help out with the day-​of execution and that didn’t end up panning out, so she’d thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask Maria if she could provide any day-​of support, even though it was really cutting close to our event date. Despite her busy schedule and traveling plans, Maria was keen on helping out and jumped on board just 1 week prior to our event. In days’ time, she mobilized a floral designer and a sound/​lighting tech company to join and provide their services.
Maria and Tiffany contacted all of our vendors and volunteers before the event and created and managed the event flow. They were extremely organized, professional and so sweet. They literally saved our lives and went above and beyond what we had expected. They definitely raised the level of sophistication of our event up a few notches with only a few days to work! Since we are a nonprofit we operate on a very small budget, and we are so grateful that Maria brought on the floral designer and offered some suggestions to really beautify and improve the gala. Maria also provided this top-​notch service pro bono.
Maria and Tiffany are amazing. They worked tireless hours throughout the final nights to help us create an incredibly successful and spectacular night. Our vendors and volunteers were also equally impressed with their professionalism and kindness. If this is what a week’s effort looks like, I’d be dying to see what Top Event Planner could accomplish with a few months’ time. I can’t say enough: Top Event Planner is on time, thorough, professional, creative, resourceful and extremely passionate about their work.

With 5 different locations for our wedding comprising of 2 tea ceremonies, 1 church ceremony, bridal party pictures and an 8-​course Chinese banquet reception in the evening at Hyatt in Newport Beach all crammed into one day, we were looking for a month-​of wedding coordinator to ensure everything occurred timely and smoothly and Maria Tran and her team helped us pulled this off. We can’t thank her enough. Highly recommended!

Maria and her team really helped minimized our wedding stress down to a tiny dot! The entire wedding day went so smoothly and we were ahead of schedule that both our families and all our guests were impressed by it. The communication between Maria and her team was incredible and everyone was always on the same page with no misunderstandings of where items should go and when to get placed. Before the wedding, Maria was really helpful in creating our timeline of the day and the level of detail that she goes into really paid off! Her team was always available ²⁴⁄₇ to answer any questions or even share in the excitement/​stress that I was having as the wedding day neared.
A lot of people may think that a day-​of coordinator is not necessary but for us, it REALLY helped out in making our day stress-​free. Our families also thanked us because they were also able to enjoy the day with us rather than running around to make sure that everything was ready. We were able to hand over the small misc. items for our reception to Maria and her team prior so that would be something we wouldn’t have to worry about the day of. My husband and I cannot thank-​you Maria enough for her dedication to helping our wedding day be the best, it really showed and we absolutely love her! Thank you Top Event Planner!

BRIDE TO BE: Save yourself the headaches, panic attacks, and meltdowns and BOOK Maria ASAP.
GROOM: If you want your Bride stress free… do yourself a favor and BOOK Maria.
There aren’t enough words to describe how much I adore Maria. She is absolutely every bride’s dream. She is meticulous, organized, detail-​oriented, professional, and such a pleasure to work with. Her voice is so calming that you forget about the chaos. I had my then fiancé call her and see if she was available on our wedding day because I couldn’t even make another phone call to a vendor without almost crying. Thank goodness she was available and she was able to meet with me as soon as possible, she must have sensed the panic in his voice. I did not realize how much goes into planning a wedding until I met with her. She went over every little detail that you wouldn’t even think about, that’s when I knew I found the perfect wedding planner. Our wedding was at Serra Plaza in San Juan Capistrano, because of her I was able to just sit back and enjoy everything. She brought my dream wedding into reality.
Maria was always there to answer any questions we had and advise us on what to do. Her knowledge of the wedding industry is outstanding.
Entrusting Maria to take care of our special day was the best decision we ever made. Our day was just PERFECT. The day after, I got a phone call from my mom who couldn’t stop talking about how much she loved Maria and her team. I guess she had small mishap with her dress and was panicking, but then she turned around and before you know it Maria and her team had everything under control with their emergency kit. Our officiant also complimented on how organized our wedding day was.
My husband and I are nitpicky individuals who have nothing bad to say about Maria because she is amazing at what she does. She is truly talented and most of all she genuinely loves what she does…
PS: As I am writing this and reliving our day… my husband walks by and says, «Maria freaking ROCKS!!»

If you plan to have a medium to large size wedding and think you can do it without a wedding coordinator, you’re either superhuman or delusional.
Since you’re probably not superhuman, consider getting a wedding coordinator. I didn’t know I needed one until our friend Jodie referred us to Maria. Now that my wedding is done, I honestly cannot imagine what kind of complete disastrous chaos it would have been without Maria and her team.
From the moment we met with Maria to discuss things, she has been a complete pleasure to deal with. She made the entire process much easier. And thanks to Maria, my wedding day flowed smoothly and I really didn’t have to worry about timelines or schedules. I didn’t have to wear a watch, carry a phone of even try to memorize the schedule of events on the day of.
Maria contacted all of our vendors weeks before the event to organize and coordinate with everyone. And every vendor commented on how wonderful and easy it was to work with Maria.
We had our wedding at the Westin South Coast Plaza which have not been booked very often in the past for Vietnamese/​Chinese weddings. It’s new territory for some of our vendors but Maria managed to help us through it.
No wedding is flawless. There will be little errors and mistakes here and there. But with Maria and her team coordinating your event, it’s as close to flawless as it gets.
Don’t be foolish. Get a coordinator. Get Top Event Planner.

Just got back from our Honeymoon so didn’t get a chance to write a review. We hired Maria to be our wedding coordinator for our wedding at the Hilton Hotel in Costa Mesa on 08/​08/​2015. She’s very sweet and easy to work with. She’s professional, detailed oriented, organized and made sure that everything was on schedule according to the timeline script. She response very quick to emails and txts if we had any questions. She has creative and fun ideas. Her and her team made sure that all of our guests were entertained and that everyone had a great time. Highly recommend her for your next wedding or events! She’s the best! :)

Maria is absolutely the sweetest & the best! Her and her team made my wedding day the best day ever. I just got married May 2, 2015 @ the Hyatt Hotel in Newport Beach. From the beginning, I completely trusted Her with everything. I had so much questions, she always knew how to ease my mind, and make everything less stressful. I cannot thank her enough for everything that she has done for me. She helped with every little details to make my special day as perfect as can be. She even helped with my menus & party favors, which I knew took a lot of her time, and she never complained, always had the biggest smile on your face. I wanted a dry ice machine for my first dance, she even went with me to the vendor to make sure everything was good to go, I was so touch that she would go out of her way for me. On the day of the wedding, she was so on point, one of my vendors messed up on my lightings color for my ballroom and she had it fix ASAP no hesitation. My venue loved her professionalism and promptness so much she is now on their vendor list. Her team worked so hard on my wedding day especially Maria, I was so stress free. I even refer Maria to my cousin, and 2 friends so far, and I look forward to recommend her to all my friends That are going to get married. From the moment I woke up on my wedding day, everything was perfect by the minute. Maria made sure the music was coordinated right & my first dance was as memorable as it can be because she made sure the dry ice machine was there ! Just like I wanted. I love you Maria !! Thank you Thank you again. My wedding day will forever be embedded in my head, so beautiful, romantic, and the best, all because of all your help.

Our wedding happened this past June 2015 and it was awesome. As a bride, on the day wedding, I was pretty much stress free. Even with little hiccups here and there, Maria Tran, our wedding coordinator, ensured that everything went smoothly. I really was able to enjoy and be present on the day of my wedding and didn’t worry about all the little details that Maria and her crew took care of.
Maria started planning out the detailed of our wedding the moment with booked her. She would check in with us at the 6 month, 1 month, and the weeks before our wedding. We were in constant communication with her through email, texts, and calls. She is available around the clock if you have any last minute burning questions. She always had our interest in mind. For instance, our hotel venue over charged us on the alcohol and Maria made sure to let us know that we should despite those charges. We eventually received compensation for those charges.
Maria and her team are flexible, on-​time, detailed-​oriented, and overall easy to work with. I highly recommend them for your wedding day. I don’t have anything negative say about Maria. Thank you.

Maria is a top notch vendor, the best of the best in her industry. She was very professional, prompt with email responses, and overall the best vendor that I had the pleasure of working with. She posses all of the skills and qualities that any couple would need to help you put together the wedding of your dreams.
She was is tremendously organized with attention to details, courteous, professional, thoughtful, and very kind. Everything was on schedule and the whole wedding day ran super smoothly. Not only did she take fantastic care of the wedding party, she made sure that the other vendors were well looked after. Maria best wedding coordinator/​planner ever! If you are even thinking about hiring one, look no further because you have found the perfect person for the job! She is well worth her weight in gold. I HIGHLY recommend her!

I don’t think there is enough words for me to describe how wonderful Maria is… she is MAGNIFICENT!!! I would vote her as the best wedding coordinator/​planner ever! If you are even thinking about hiring one, look no further because you have found Maria. She will make your fairytale wedding come true as she did for my husband and I on 12/20/14…a gorgeous winter wonderland wedding that would not have been possible without her! Maria stood by me (especially when my husband could not make it to our meetings due to his busy work schedule) and supported us throughout the most important stages of all our wedding planning and decision making. My husband (who was initially hesitant to hire a wedding coordinator) will tell you that hiring Maria was the best decision we made… she is extremely talented in what she does and will make the process as stress– free and enjoyable as possible. I can honestly say that I did not just find a wedding planner but have found a friend for life as Maria made one of the most important days of our life into a dream come true. Thank you so much Maria!!!
Please do not hesitate and hire Maria immediately before she gets booked! We promise you that this is one decision you will not regret!

Maria is the BEST wedding coordinator hands down. She’s professional, super organized, AWESOME at multi-​tasking and her attention to detail is AMAZING! Not only that, she’s a really thoughtful and a super sweet person.
Even though weddings are stressful, she kept everything running smoothly and the on schedule as planned. That’s not an easy feat at an Asian wedding! She made sure that the needs of the couple, the wedding party, and the vendors were all taken care of and that everyone was having a good time. Maria is well prepared for any task at hand and always has everything under control. I was impressed with her skills and cannot praise her enough!
I would high recommend Maria, especially since you only get married once and want the day to be perfect. Why stress out and worry about the little details? Let her take care of you. She’s well worth the money and goes well above and beyond what a wedding coordinator does =)

I always envisioned my wedding as this vintage style, very intimate, and romantic atmosphere where I would marry the love of my life and my guests would have nothing but a big smile across their faces and dance wildly throughout the night. Now, I had the idea but I would need a very professional and special person to help me carry that message through.
Maria (aka Magnificent Maria) was referred to me by a close friend and with her having quite an extensive amount of praises by all the her clients, I decided that she will be the one that I will work with. I did not regret a bit hiring her as our wedding coordinator. She worked closely and attentively to me to meet all of my needs. She even did the extra work to show us some work she had done to inspire me. Also, she even went out of the way to pick up charger plates for us in that crazy LA traffic. Her voice was always pleasant and kind when she spoke to me so that made me feel less guilty.
We had our wedding at Wente Winery this February. It was PERFECT! She had the entire wedding agenda planned out for us and under control. The timing from getting ready to reception ran smoothly and stress free. She communicated well with all of the vendors and helped with all the wedding arrangements and even set up the lighting herself. She’s not only smart but quite a technical person. I felt like I actually was able to enjoy my meal and nothing was rushed. I actually had a moment to digest, enjoy, and admire all the hard work put in to make this wedding happen. All the brides should know how stressful that is. I didn’t want to be one of those brides that wake up the next morning and remember her wedding night as a blurry beautiful short dream.
Our guests were praising our wedding throughout the entire night. They were impressed of the decorations, how the wedding flowed, the lighting, the music, the cake, and of course the bride and groom :) Our wedding so far is still the TALK OF THE YEAR.
I highly, recommend, Maria as your wedding planner/​wedding coordinator because she’s all that! She’s smart, attentive, detailed, stern when necessary (not no pushover), positive, caring, talented, dependable, cost efficient, fast thinker, etc. She possess all the traits that can assist you to a beautiful and organized wedding. After all, you marry only once. Make it right! Thank you, Maria!

As a professional wedding photographer, I work with a lot of planners/​coordinators every year. Maria at Top Event is seriously one of the best, no questions about it.
Not only did she somehow keep everything on schedule (not easy at a live event such as a wedding), she was mindful of the wedding party’s (and vendor’s) needs throughout the day. Want proof? She brought food for us because she knew we hadn’t eaten in a while. I’ve never had a coordinator bring the wedding party + vendors food before. That BLEW my mind, and made me realize that today’s wedding was going to be a breeze, thanks to Maria.
She also covered for the vendors when needy relatives came to her (multiple times), demanding a DJ announcement for photos with his friends, just as we were sitting down to refuel our bodies. Each time, Maria said «no, give us 10 minutes, we need to eat.» LOVE that. We had a schedule to keep! Other coordinators would have given us a pleading look to put our dinner down and break the schedule, but not Maria.
Also, there was a need for a first aid kit at the reception. Of course, Maria was prepared and had everything covered, without breaking a sweat.
Most of the other weddings I shoot, I have to also play part-​time coordinator in order to pick up the slack from the hired coordinator. So I know and respect the work and planning that Maria put in before –and during– our clients’ big day.
Really hoping I can work with her again soon! Why? Because she does her job, and then goes above and beyond! Spoil me again, Maria!